Les Phillips Blog

Recently, I’ve been rediscovering black and white digital photography with the Minneapolis Upper Harbor Terminal on the Mississippi River as my subject. however, not every image from the UHT shoot appears to works best in b/w. What caught my attention and lead me to select the color image over the b/w was the uneven lighting thanks to a passing cloud and the colors of the rusting iron in the shade. I decided color best captured the spirit of that moment.

The raw photo for this image was taken Sunday, 07/10/2011. It was about 5:00 p.m. and the heat index was over 100 degrees. Back at the computer, I was faced with the creative question of what to do with the raw image?

Ultimately, after playing with the raw file in Adobe Lightroom, I decided on creating a black and white image. Ever since I went digital, my work has been color, going to black and white was returning to my roots and, strangely, stepping out of my comfort zone.

There were three reasons why I decided to move away from emulsion-based photography in favor of digital. The first had to do with the darkroom. After 35 years working in the dark, I needed to open a window and let in sunlight and fresh air, both literally and figuratively. I still loved the process of printing but the workflow was too time consuming and physically isolating.

The second reason had to do with where I wanted to go with my work. Even 12 years ago, I could see that digital photography offered the potential for much greater control over my image making, use of those images, and output on a wide range of materials. As with the rest of the digital revolution, photography and printing went through an implosion where commercial services such as film processing and typesetting became applications on my desktop computer.

The third reason was my concern for the environment. For decades I had used toxic chemicals, silver emulsion-based papers, and a steady torrent of fresh water. Digital photography promised that I could do away with waste.

UHT-1

It’s important for me to go outside my comfort zone on a regular basis. This gives me fresh experiences that can lead to insights which enrich my spirit and world view. In my photography, there are many ways to push my comfort zone, including trying new creative approaches or photographing new subject matter.

The Minneapolis Upper Harbor Terminal images are a good example of what black and white offers the photographer. Stripping color from an image allows me to concentrate on an image’s composition and enhancing it using tonality. In addition, viewers have been trained over the last 150 years, to experience black and white images as more authentic: a documentary reality.

I approached UHT as an impression of reality, more like a black and white memory.

Instead of the often seen film noir look of black and white photojournalism, I am developing a style that smooths out pixelation. From typical viewing distance, the image is a photograph but from up close it takes on a more painterly aspect.

This image is available as a stock file or gallery print.

At a rally, it is the handmade sign that speaks most eloquently and to the heart of the matter. When someone takes the time to express themselves in their own words and create a sign it is an indication of the passion that they feel.

Sexual Assault Services ARE Critical Services
We forget, how many non profit and small community-based programs, such as sexual assault counseling and battered women homes there are throughout the state. We forget that the women and some men that need these services, it can be a matter of life and death.

Harming Countless Minnesotans Is NOT OK!
For the secure Minnesotan, the government shutdown may create a slight inconvenience: no state rest stops on the highway, no state park camping, no fishing or boating licenses.  These are irritating but not life threatening. However for less secure Minnesotans: the lack of mass transit will mean potential loss of a job,  buying gas for the car rather than medicine or clothes, longer commutes and less time with family. With Workforce Centers closed important resources, such access to computers, comprehensive job listings, assistance from job counselors disappear and the unemployed are  put at an even greater disadvantage during these hard times. In addition, individuals and families experience much greater stress and stress related diseases. But with the state shutdown the help they need to weather the crisis is unavailable: they plunge deeper into personal ruin. Recovering economically will take years if it is possible at all. Some people will never recover from this shutdown.

Invest in Minnesota Health Care
The state shutdown effects the 140,000 Minnesotans that are already on state health care programs. With businesses slowing down due to lost work on government projects, such as highway and bridge construction, and 22,000 state employees temporarily out of work, many more people will need help with health care costs. More Minnesotans will be pushed to a lower economic level out of which they may not be able to climb.

The faces and signs tell the stories of our fellow citizens and call on our consciences to act. 

Steve’s a bus driver. His green Paul Wellstone t-shirt and the boxing glove signed by Al Franken tell the story of years of commitment.

Yesterday, I attended a political rally at the Minnesota State House. As a shutdown of state government loomed, Minnesotans from around the state gathered to show their support for keeping programs that invest in Minnesota and opposing Republican budget cutting plans. Despite a heat index of over 100 degrees, people representing all facets of Minnesota’s diverse culture stood in the withering sunlight to voice their disapproval of how the Republican legislature wants to balance the state budget.

Political events, particularly public rallies and protests, present the common face of our democracy: the people who passionately believe that their voices matter and that they can make a difference.  It doesn’t matter what political philosophy is being supported or opposed, the faces of the protesters tell powerful American stories.

Here are a few portraits from yesterday:

Members of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Teamsters surrounded by faces of Minnesota.

Members of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Local 647, holding a sign that emphasized the reason for the rally. Invest in Minnesota rather than tear it down.